


Of Babies and Betting Pools

by marksmom



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Humor, Implied Slash, M/M, Mpreg, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-14
Updated: 2012-04-14
Packaged: 2017-11-03 15:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/383147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marksmom/pseuds/marksmom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry is pregnant...but who's the father?  The Daily Prophet decides to run a betting pool...what are the odds that they'll be wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And So It Begins...

“Alright everyone...everyone... _ **QUIET!**_ Thank you all for coming to this impromptu meeting of The Weasley Brothers Club plus Harry and Draco. As you may have heard, _The Daily Prophet_ has outed the pregnancy of our dear Harry. As you may _**not**_ have heard, they are now running a betting pool on who the other father is.” Fred Weasley looked around as noises of outrage spewed out of the other members of the club. “I know, I know...but, there is a plus side to this.” At the sounds of abject disbelief he held up his hands in a placating manner. “Please, everyone, please! Let me continue. The plus side to this little betting pool is that fifty percent will go to the winner and the other fifty percent will go to Harry, so that he can buy all of those little fripperies that babies deserve. Yes, I know he's one of the two wealthiest wizards in England, and that the other wealthiest wizard is also sitting in this room,” Draco stood and made a bow, “but this is the decree that _The Prophet_ has handed down. What we need to do is decide how to handle this.” Fred sat down and listened as his brothers and their respective partners decided that they needed to blow up the offices of _The Daily Prophet_.

“As much as I like the idea because they are a pain in my arse, I don't think blowing up _The Prophet_ is a feasible option. I think that our resident pranksters can come up with a much better plan to have fun at _The Prophet's_ expense.” Harry sat back against his husband and looked inquiringly at said pranksters. “Well?”

George grinned a little as he thought, then the grin morphed into a full-blown smile...complete with teeth. “I think...” he paused for effect. “I think we ought to up the stakes on the pool. It shouldn't be that hard to do...who are the lucky guesses so far?”

Fred grinned at everyone. “Get ready for this one, guys. So far, the number one guess is our ickle Ronniekins.” Ron made a disgusted face which ended when Hermione, his wife of three months, elbowed him in the ribs. “Number two goes equally to me and George and number three...get this...is Draco Malfoy.”

Draco's eyes widened comically as he looked at Fred in disbelief. “You have got to be joking!” He turned to Harry. “Not that you're ugly or anything Harry, but I have my own Weasley.”

Harry laughed. “It's alright Draco, I understand. I wouldn't trade my Weasley for anything.”

Harry's husband chuckled lightly before turning to his brother. “Oi! They talk about us like we're Famous Wizard Cards or something. So how do we sabotage the betting pool?”

George smiled again. “Well, brother mine, I have an idea...but we'll need more men here to get it to work properly.” He looked at Draco. “Who amongst the Slytherins that are still alive would you trust to be around Harry, basically unsupervised?”

Both Harry and Draco spoke at the same time. “Blaise Zabini.”

George nodded. “Get him here...use the floo in the sitting room.” Draco got up and walked into the next room. “Hermione, can you get Neville Longbottom?” She nodded and stood to use the floo at the end of the kitchen. Now he looked directly at Harry, “Can you get Remus and Snape here?”

Harry's smile threatened to overtake his face. “If you're planning what I think you are, Remy will agree, but I'm not too sure about Sev.” He thought for a moment. “Then again, he might...he does have a twisted sense of humour.” He stood and went up the stairs to Molly and Arthur's room to use their floo.

Hermione returned to the group first, followed by Neville Longbottom and his wife Luna. Chairs were conjured so that they could all sit. Neville helped Luna lower her very pregnant body onto her chair and took the one next to her. “What's going on? I thought these little meetings were for Weasleys only.”

Ron snickered. “Oh they are usually, but this one's different. We'll explain when the rest get here.”

Draco came back in the room, followed by a laughing Blaise Zabini. “A betting pool? Who thought that one up? And doesn't Potter own the paper? Why didn't he stop them from doing this?”

“I didn't want to spoil the fun.” Harry answered as he walked back into the room. “I knew about this a few days ago, but the editor begged me to let it run.” He looked steadily at Luna Longbottom who shrugged.

“I thought it would be interesting, seeing how I already know the answer. The bets have been running wild in the office ever since we ran the story about your pregnancy.”

A few moments later the floo in the kitchen flared up and out stepped Remus Lupin and his husband, Severus Snape. “Potter, this had better be worth my time; I had to put a stasis spell on the potion I was brewing for Poppy.”

“Oh it will be, Sev. Alright, we're all here now, please continue George.”

He looked around the room, his bright blue gaze stopping on various men before he continued speaking. “What my plan involves is for all of us, straight, bisexual and gay alike, to escort Harry around. One man per week, a different man each week. We have gathered some of the most unlikely people in this room; the only person I could think of who would be more unlikely is Lucius Malfoy.”

“Hell No! He hates me! I'd be dead before the first hour was up.”

“I know, that's why I didn't suggest that Draco get him.”

“It doesn't help that he won't speak to me anymore, since I decided that I wanted to marry for love.” Draco looked at his husband-to-be and blew him a kiss. The man blushed deeply and blew a kiss back.

“Ooh! I didn't know _**you**_ could blush like that!” Hermione picked on the hapless man.

“People...let's get going on this. I think that the most likely person, in everyone else's opinion, should go first...that's you Ron.”

He nodded and smiled at his best mate. “Looks like you're stuck with me first Harry.”

Harry nodded. “Alright...next?”

George looked around at the men seated in the room, most of them cringed under the weight of those blue eyes. “Percy.”

The third oldest Weasley child looked at his younger brother and sighed. “If I must. I'll tell Penelope, just so that she doesn't try to hex me when she sees the paper...and tell her that she should keep the papers away from the children.”

“Followed by...” George continued looking at each man in turn. “Bill.”

The curse breaker smiled and nodded.

“Next will be...Blaise.”

The dark skinned Slytherin laughed. “Guess I finally get to show you a good time, eh Potter?”

Harry smiled as his husband's arms tightened around him. “Yes, but just remember, Pansy will kill you if you try anything.” The dark skinned man flinched and nodded, drawing laughter from the other men. The last thing Blaise wanted to do was piss off his very loving but very trigger happy wife; he had been on the receiving end of too many of her hexes to want to risk it again.

“Alright, moving on...Neville.”

The herbologist blushed and nodded. Luna patted his arm, “You'll enjoy yourself...you just said the other day that you don't get to see Harry as much as you used to.”

“It'll be alright Nev.” Harry reassured the shy man. “Once it's all over, then you'll have all the time in the world to prove to wizarding England that you're not really gay.” The room broke into laughter again as Neville blushed a vibrant red that was definitely Weasley-worthy.

“I'll be next, after Neville.”

“Actually, my great and wonderful twin,” said Fred, “I think, just to confuse the hell out of everyone, we should go together.”

Harry's eyes widened. “Oh Gods! The two of you at the same time? Kill me now!” Everyone agreed with the twins, though, so Harry was going to get to experience alone time with Fred and George.

“Don't worry, Harry. We like you...”

“And we want our niece or nephew to come out unscathed...”

“So we'll take it easy on you...”

“Just this one time.”

Dead silence from Harry greeted this statement, delivered in the rapid fire alternations that the twins were famous for. He had paled a little, but nodded anyway. His husband tightened his arms around him again and kissed his neck. “It'll be alright, Love. They know what I'll do to them if they harm you.”

“Who's next?”

George smiled broadly as his eyes came to rest on _**the most**_ unlikely person in the group. Severus groaned slightly but nodded. “Might I hope that you would settle for a belated session of potions tutoring?” Harry shook his head. “Reading quietly?” Again, Harry shook his head. “What then?”

Harry smirked at his godfather's husband. “Clothes shopping. You need a new wardrobe anyway and most of my things won't fit by that time; we're going shopping.” The older man groaned again and dropped his head to the table with a loud thud.

Remus spoke up. “I'd like to suggest that I go last.”

Harry looked at him curiously. “Why Remy?”

The last Marauder smiled wickedly. “Because by that time, I'll be showing and it'll really make them wonder.” Harry and his husband had known that his godfather was expecting, but no one else had. Exclamations and congratulations made the rounds of the room.

“So, Charlie, that means you go after Severus.”

“And I go after Charlie?” Draco thought that it was a fairly good plan. It would definitely make everyone wonder just who the other father of Harry's baby was, and just what Harry was doing with all of these men.

Ideas began to flow around the table, spurred on by comments from Remus and the twins. Harry sat back against his husband's broad chest and sighed happily. This was going to be _**FUN!**_


	2. And the Dates Begin...

Ron had placed a few rules on their Sunday outing. “I'm sorry mate, but I refuse to kiss you. Holding hands is alright, so is an arm around the waist or shoulders.” He thought of something else. “And you are not to kiss me.” Harry's husband laughed when Harry's expression fell.

“I'll make up for it when you get home, Love.”

Ron and Harry left the Burrow that Sunday via the floo; they stepped out of the hearth at the Leaky Cauldron, hand in hand, almost inciting a riot. People scurried from table to table handing each other money and becoming so loud that Tom, the bartender, had to quiet them down. By the time the pub was quiet again, Ron and Harry were already out in Diagon Alley.

They were followed by several reporters from The Daily Prophet and Xenophilius Lovegood from the Quibbler. Xeno had been alerted to the prank, so he was just following to make good on his promise to his daughter to write articles about the 'dates' and post the odds in his paper.

The restaurant had to practise crowd control when Ron and Harry arrived for their dinner reservation that evening. Everyone wanted to see what the pregnant Boy Who Lived and his date ate for dinner and what they had for dessert. The restaurant management was savvy enough to take note of what Harry and Ron ordered and offered them as specials for the rest of the week. After the dinner, Ron and Harry walked back to the Leaky Cauldron, again hand in hand, and flooed home.

When they arrived at the Burrow, they almost fell over laughing. They told the crowd gathered there what had happened and some of the comments that were made. Harry's husband made good on his promise to make up for lack of kisses on the 'date' and Hermione made sure that Ron got his fair share as well.

 ~OOooOO~

Percy arrived to collect Harry the following Sunday for their 'date'. He was accompanied by his wife, Penelope, who was convulsed with laughter. “He only told me about this last night. I had to send the children off to Mama for the day because I wanted to be here when he got back. I can't wait to see the reactions of the press over this one!”

Percy held out his arm for Harry and made the same stipulations that Ron had; “No kissing of any kind.” Harry looked at his husband again and was given the same promise as last week; “When you get back Harry.”

Percy and Harry arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and, once again, the people in attendance went rabid. Tom gave Harry a weary look and Harry detoured to the bar to speak with him. Tom's expression lightened and he almost laughed when Harry told him what was going on. He agreed to help them and maintain some semblance of ignorance of the situation.

Percy offered his arm to Harry and they went into Diagon Alley. Percy had arranged a picnic for them on the commons and it was waiting, complete with sparkling cider for them to drink, instead of pumpkin juice or butterbeer. They enjoyed the finger foods that Percy had picked specifically for Harry. He had questioned his brother so that he knew what things Harry liked and had chosen accordingly. They drank their cider and talked about the baby, things like names and what sex they hoped the baby was. The reporters sitting near them on benches were quick to write down everything that was said; the ones who couldn't get close enough employed a Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes product, Extendible Ears. They arrived back at the Burrow, laughing at the denizens of the pub who had almost fallen over trying to get a last look at the 'couple'.

 ~OOooOO~

Bill refused to tell Harry where he was taking him on their 'date', he wanted it to be a surprise. He draped his arm across Harry's shoulders as they walked and Harry slipped his arm around Bill's waist, leaning into him slightly. They were gaining more and more attention as they walked through the crowded main street of Diagon Alley and Bill knew that at least four of their followers were reporters from _The Prophet_. Xeno Lovegood was there already, Luna having told him where they were going. He steered Harry into a new building close to the end of the street and watched the childlike joy spread across Harry's face.

“I've never been to an arcade! Thank you, Bill! What can we do here?”

“Anything you like Harry.”

They played games and won prizes, the best being a large black and green dragon that reminded Harry of the Hungarian Horntail that he had bested in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. They ate candy floss and strolled for a while before grabbing something to eat at a small café close by, holding hands the entire time. They spent the better part of the afternoon in the arcade and, by the time they left, they were forced to shrink all the prizes they had won so that they would fit into a bag provided by the beaming arcade owner.

They walked back into the Leaky Cauldron and flooed back to the Burrow, happy but tired. After some conversation with everyone who was waiting, Harry's husband picked up the sleepy man and carried him into their rooms. The Burrow had been expanded quite a bit by Arthur and Molly, so that all of their children could live there, if they wished. He laid Harry on their bed and gently kissed him. “Did you have a good time today?” Harry nodded, smiling, right before he fell asleep.

 ~OOooOO~

Blaise showed up at the Burrow a good hour before their 'date' was supposed to start. He was accompanied by his wife of two years, Pansy Zabini nee Parkinson. She sat down at the kitchen table with a strangely subdued Blaise. “Alright Potter...Weasley...whoever the hell you are...” She smiled at Harry, scaring him a bit. “I've agreed to this simply because I want to see the public's reaction to you being on my husband's arm. No funny stuff, no kissing, no cuddling...hand holding is alright, but that's as far as it goes, got it?”

Harry nodded once. Pansy's jealousy might be the only problem with today's 'date'. “Pansy, I'm married to a man I love very much, why would I want _**your**_ husband? I told him no when we were still at Hogwarts, why would I change my mind now and ruin not only my happy marriage, but yours as well?”

Pansy relaxed visibly. “I'm sorry, I can't help it.” She turned to Harry's husband and asked, “How do you stand it when people are all over him? Blaise and I have been married for two years and I can't even begin to tolerate men and women telling him that he's beautiful and asking if he's thought about being unfaithful to his ugly pug of a wife.”

Blaise stiffened and wrapped his arms around Pansy, hugging her tightly. “Don't _**ever**_ let me hear you say that about yourself again. You  are _ **beautiful**_! Besides, I still can't figure out why you said yes when I asked you to marry me.”

Harry's husband placed a hand on top of hers. “You can't get used to it, it's impossible. But, I'm secure in the fact that I know Harry loves me. You should be secure too; it's obvious to anyone who looks at the two of you together that you're both very much in love.” True, Pansy wasn't the most beautiful woman in the world, but you could see how much Blaise loved her. His face lit up and he smiled constantly when she was near him; he looked almost lost and dejected when she wasn't.

That week's date, by unspoken agreement between Blaise and Harry, was short and to the point. They ate, held hands across the table and allowed the press to take as many notes as they could in a short period of time. They flooed back to the Burrow within two hours of leaving it. They could see Pansy's relief and happiness when her husband was returned to her. She stood on her tip-toes to kiss Harry's cheek. “Thank you for understanding.” He returned the kiss and shook Blaise's hand. This would be the only week when there wouldn't be any other outings; he didn't want to make Pansy mad or harm Blaise's marriage.

 ~OOooOO~

Neville had to switch weeks with Fred and George because Luna went into labour, delivering a beautiful baby boy. The twins had decided to take Harry back to the arcade that Bill had taken him to. Bill had told everyone how much Harry had enjoyed their time there, and they wanted to make sure he enjoyed this date as well. They played games, teaching Harry how to play one called skee ball. They then took Harry on a tour of almost every shop in Diagon Alley, allowing themselves to be seen by everyone there that day.

They were told by several shop owners that Harry's presence in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade had boosted their sales tremendously and they thanked him. Some of them realized what was going on and laughed when they came through the door, followed by their own personal entourage of reporters.

Once again, Harry was exhausted when they got back to the Burrow. His husband chuckled a little when Harry fell into his arms. “Remind me not to do that again. They're exhausting! They had me in and out of every store in Diagon Alley.”

His husband kissed his forehead and pulled him into his lap. “I promise Love, but think of it as practice for when this little one gets old enough to want to go shopping.” He placed his hand on Harry's obvious baby bump.

Harry leaned in and kissed him, cuddled into his chest and fell asleep within seconds.


	3. And the Dates Continue...

Harry was happy that Neville was only going to take him to dinner; after the experience with the twins the previous week, he wasn't sure he was up for traipsing about all over Diagon Alley this week. Neville and Luna arrived at the Burrow to visit for a while before the date. Luna was proudly showing off their one week old son when Fred burst into the room, waving the latest edition of _The Daily Prophet_ in the air.

“Someone finally figured out that some of the men are already married! It only took the genius five weeks to do it.” He laughed at the dark look on Luna's face.

“They weren't supposed to run that until all of the dates were done. I told them to hold off on it because I wanted to see what would happen next. I'll have to talk to that idiot Finnegan about this.”

“Seamus Finnegan?”

“Mmhmm. He figured out what was going on after Harry's 'date' with Percy. He doesn't know that Harry is married because they've kept it under wraps, but he knows that Harry's not one to sleep with a married man. The only one that got married after Harry got pregnant is Ron, so he's still in the running.” She turned to look at Harry. “Does the public know that Remus and Professor Snape are married?”

“No, they didn't inform the press of their wedding either. So, what do we do now? Neville's date is today and _The Prophet_ already knows that you're married to him.”

Draco walked in and noticed the expressions on everyone's faces. “What's wrong?”

Harry explained the situation to him and was startled by the calculating look on his face. “What are you thinking?”

Draco turned to Neville. “Where were you planning on taking Harry today?”

“Just to that new Italian restaurant in Diagon Alley...why?”

“Here's what we're going to do...”

 ~OOooOO~

When Harry arrived at the Leaky Cauldron on Draco's arm, the patrons went completely silent. They knew that _The Prophet_ was running odds on Draco being the father, but none of them had actually thought that Harry would be with the former Slytherin. Even though Draco had never been a Death Eater and had not taken the mark, he would forever be associated with his infamous father. Harry winked at Tom as they passed him, just to reassure him; he had a worried expression on his face which went away when he saw the wink. Tom subsided back into his usual impassivity and continued to wipe down the bar.

When they reached the restaurant, Xeno was surprised to see Draco but knew that he'd get the whole story from Luna later on that evening. Harry and Draco sat next to each other, holding hands and occasionally leaning into each other. They planned on pushing the envelope a little bit with this date, with the permission of their respective Weasleys, of course. The reporters were practically slavering all over themselves while taking copious amounts of notes. There was stunned silence, however, when Harry leaned in and planted a kiss on Draco's cheek. All that could be heard was the frantic scribbling of self-inking quills on parchment.

They finished their meal and left the restaurant, leaving a hefty tip for the poor wait-staff that had to deal with the reporters after they left. Silence reigned once again in the Leaky Cauldron when they walked back in. One enterprising and quick reporter had left the restaurant before they had and told the pub patrons about the kiss. Many were upset that Harry might choose the son of a notorious Death Eater, but they all knew that they'd forgive Harry eventually...he was The Boy Who Lived, after all, and he had saved them.

When they arrived back at the Burrow, they almost collapsed into each other's arms, their peals of laughter drawing everyone into the sitting room. After Harry's husband had Harry settled on his lap, the questioning started. They all knew that this date had gone further than any of the others and would set the tone for the few remaining dates. Everyone chuckled when they were told of the silence in the Leaky Cauldron and the reactions of the reporters to the kiss in the restaurant. The floo activated again, disgorging Xeno Lovegood onto the rug in front of the hearth.

“You missed everything, boys! I've never seen such a rigmarole as went on when you left the restaurant. None of those reporters knew what to say and they all sat there trying to string words into complete sentences. This date was definitely worth the effort you put into it!” He looked at Harry and raised his eyebrows. “How are you going to top this one?”

Harry chuckled when he thought about his next 'date'. “Severus is next and we're going shopping, I don't know how we're going to top this.” They were interrupted by the sound of the floo in the kitchen. Severus stalked in, followed by his laughing husband.

“Do you know what you've done? Now I'm going to have to expend effort to make my farce better than Draco's!”

“How did you find out about it so quickly?”

“Minerva was in the restaurant with her daughter and son-in-law when you and Draco came in. They've been keeping up with the story at Hogwarts and she came back immediately to let me know that you had kissed my godson in public. She got very upset because she thought that you were cheating on your husband, so I had to explain the situation to her. Once she finished laughing, she asked what I was going to do to best Draco.”

Remus had stopped laughing by this time and reached for his husband's hand. “Actually Sev, I don't think you'll have to do much; any sign of emotion from you is an over the top effort. All you'll have to do is what we do...hold hands or put your arm around his waist, maybe smile a bit. You're only going shopping, so it's not going to be a romantic outing.”

Severus nodded, contemplating what he would have to do to make people notice their interaction. “I think I can do that. Which is it to be Harry? Holding hands or my arm around your waist?”

“Oh, let's push it a bit...arms around the waists. No one will expect that from you anywhere, let alone a public place. Just try to keep the snarky comments to yourself.”

Severus sighed. “That is what will take effort.” Everyone was shocked when they heard a slight chuckle come from the normally taciturn man. “I think we can pull this off admirably. As long as I don't have to kiss you, we'll be fine.”

“No kissing Sev, just leave your arm around his waist and everything will be fine.” Severus nodded and, grabbing his husband's hand, left the room to floo back to Hogwarts. Everyone looked at Harry in shock.

“What? You've never heard him laugh before? He laughs...he smiles, too. It's amazing what being with Remy has done for him.”

 ~OOooOO~

By now, most of the patrons of the Leaky Cauldron had come to expect Harry on a different man's arm each week. They were now laying bets as to who the next man would be. Not one of them, however, had placed any bet on Severus Snape. When Severus stepped out of the floo and reached back in for Harry's hand, the entire pub almost exploded. Two weeks in a row Harry had shown up with a Slytherin, but this one was different...he _**had**_ been a Death Eater. They all knew that Severus had been a spy for Dumbledore, but he bore the dark mark on his arm. Tom raised one eyebrow and let it fall when Harry shook his head slightly. This relieved him to a great extent; Severus Snape was not an appropriate father for Harry's baby. Harry was twenty years younger than him and had been his student at Hogwarts. The former Death Eater business didn't bother Tom, but the age difference did.

They quickly exited the pub and went into Diagon Alley. They went to Madam Malkin's first, to buy paternity robes for Harry and one set of new robes for Severus. He had agreed, with much grousing, to buy a set of robes that was _**not**_ black. He chose dark green, surprising the elderly owner of the shop. From there, they went to a shop that specialized in paternity clothing, as many of Harry's clothes no longer fit properly. They walked around with their arms around each other's waist and Severus actually helped Harry pick out certain things that he felt went best with Harry's colouring.

Then they went to a tailor's shop, so that Severus could get some non-black clothing for himself. They stopped and ate a snack at a café before heading off to buy some potions ingredients to replenish Severus' stock. The last place they stopped was Flourish and Blotts for some new books for Harry to read after the baby was born. They walked back into the pub and flooed back to the Burrow, surrounded by an ominous silence.

“That was...uncomfortable.” Severus shook his shoulders slightly, as if to shake off the feeling of being stared at. “Is that what you went through during your time at Hogwarts?”

“Sometimes...most of the time it was the exact opposite. I still don't know which one was worse.”

“I have a new respect for you, Harry. I wouldn't have been able to deal with that at such a young age.”

“The worst was after the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but then, when it was proved I was right, it all changed again. I went through that several times. It never got any better.”

They answered a few questions and then Severus and Remus prepared to leave. He was stopped by George before they could leave. “I'm sorry, I didn't know that would happen. I wouldn't have suggested you if I had known.”

“Thank you, Mr. Weasley. I appreciate the apology, but it is unnecessary. I thoroughly enjoyed my outing with Harry today...it allowed me to see how he gets treated when he goes out in public. Not only that, but I learned that colours other than black do exist.” He further stunned George by smiling at him before flooing back to Hogwarts.

 ~OOooOO~

Charlie had arranged to take Harry on another shopping trip. They arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and almost laughed at the relieved sigh that most of the patrons expelled. They had been hoping that Harry wouldn't show up with Severus again; it would have truly scared them if he had. Seeing Harry with the former Death Eater last week had driven some of them to the point of insanity. Why would their Golden Boy choose to be with him?

Charlie pulled Harry past Tom, not giving him any time to wink at him or otherwise; Tom raised both eyebrows at that, but went back to wiping the bar, letting his imagination run wild. There had only been two, so far, that he had not been tipped off about and he was wondering which one it was. He knew it wasn't the youngest redhead, he was already married and Tom knew Hermione Weasley rather well; she wouldn't have married him if he had a child on the way. The Zabini fellow was married to the Parkinson chit and he knew that Percy Weasley was married, too. Like any good bartender, Tom knew his patrons well.

Charlie slowed his pace once they got into Diagon Alley. “What was the rush for? You almost pulled my arm off!”

“Sorry, Harry...I just wanted to be out of there. I hate being stared at; I don't know how you deal with it.”

“You get used to it after a while. You'd _**better**_ get used to it, though”

“I know, I know. Now, on to the fun!” Charlie put his arm across Harry's shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. Harry chuckled and wrapped both arms around Charlie's middle and hugged back. They already had an audience and it was time for the performance.

He took Harry into a store that sold furniture and things for babies and small children. They spent most of the day in that store, taking their time and looking at everything. An attendant followed them around and made a list of the things that Harry said he wanted for the baby and things he wanted to look into a little further. She also explained what some things were used for and gave hints on things that Harry shouldn't waste his money on. She was so excited that she had helped The Boy Who Lived that she almost couldn't contain her glee. They left the store with Harry promising to come back a little closer to his due date, so that he could purchase the things he wanted.

Charlie steered a rapidly tiring Harry back toward the Leaky Cauldron but stopped at Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour. He had Harry sit at one of the outside tables and went inside to get ice cream for both of them. He came back out with the largest ice cream sundae that Harry had ever seen...with only one spoon. He looked at Charlie inquiringly and received a small shake of his head and a smile as an answer. Charlie scooped up the first bite and held it out for Harry to eat, keeping a hold of the stem of the spoon. Harry caught on quickly and met his eyes as he opened his mouth for the spoon. He had to work hard to control his laughter when he saw the laughter lurking in Charlie's blue eyes.

It continued that way, Charlie feeding Harry a bite and then taking one himself, until the sundae was gone. They had quite the crowd of reporters and passers-by watching Charlie feed Harry and it became harder and harder to control their laughter. Xeno saw this and hid his smile behind his hand; he didn't know which one of the Weasleys was the father of this baby but he hoped it was this one. He seemed to connect with Harry a little better than the rest; the only other one who came close was the tall one with the long hair who took Harry to the arcade. He hoped it was one of those two, Harry deserved to be happy.

 ~OOooOO~

Harry had two more weeks of dates and he honestly couldn't wait for them to be over...he was getting sick of having to watch what he said and did around people. He couldn't wait for the baby to be born; he or she was starting to really grow and usually decided to sit on Harry's bladder. Draco had told him that they were going to start buying things for the baby on their second outing; he promised that they would stop and rest whenever Harry needed it.

They stepped out into the Leaky Cauldron, once again into dead silence. Tom shook his head and hid his smile. He knew that the younger Malfoy wasn't the father; he had stopped him and asked when he had seen them after the first date. The patrons in the pub didn't know that, though. Harry's appearance for a second time with Draco caused a number of them to look slightly green; to them, it was looking more and more likely that Draco _**was**_ the unnamed father of Harry's baby. Both Draco and Harry nodded at Tom as they walked through the pub and out of the back door.

They went back to the shop that Charlie had taken Harry to the week before and started picking things out to buy. They bought a crib, a bassinet and a changing table/dresser for the extra room that Arthur, Bill and Charlie were putting on the Burrow that day. They bought a matching set of duvet and sheets, along with several changes for the duvet cover. The assistant promised that all of their purchases would be delivered to the Burrow by the following weekend.

From that shop, they went to a clothing store and started to pick out baby-grows in neutral colours like like white, green and yellow. Harry had no idea what he was having; he couldn’t wait to be surprised. A few pairs of tiny shoes, socks and several packages of newborn disposable nappies were also bought. These nappies were radically different from the muggle type; these would automatically fold themselves up and disappear into a specially designed waste bucket that was charmed to repel smells, no matter how bad.

By this time, Harry's stamina was starting to flag, so they decided to have an early meal and go back to the Burrow. All throughout the meal, they held hands and fed each other little bits of their food. To the reporters, it seemed as if they now had their answer to the identity of Baby Potter’s other father.

They flooed back to the Burrow where they were caught by their respective mates and kissed and cuddled on for quite some time. Harry's husband was happy that there was only one more week of this, so that Harry could rest for the last month of his pregnancy. All of the exercise was beginning to take its toll on the younger man. Granted, the sleep he got on Sunday nights was wonderful, but Harry was tiring more and more quickly and didn't have the energy to keep this up much longer.

 ~OOooOO~

Remus had spoken with Harry's husband and they had agreed that, since both men were obviously pregnant, the last date would be a non-stressful carefree type of date. Remus kept his arm around Harry's waist as they flooed into the Leaky Cauldron. Tom had already been warned about this date, as he would be serving them their first meal. They took a table close to the rear of the pub so that they could escape easily if they felt the need.

They could feel the shock radiating off of the pub patrons. This older man was a little better than Severus Snape had been...but he was still old enough to be Harry's father. Then, there was the fact that Remus Lupin was an obviously pregnant werewolf. Like Severus Snape, this man had not even been on the list of possible fathers and people were a little thrown by his appearance with Harry.

They took their time with the lunch, talking about anything and everything. They also talked about both babies and what sex they hoped they were and they talked about the lack of a sex life because of the babies (once again shocking everyone within earshot). Once they felt that they'd spent enough time there, they hauled themselves out of their chairs, leaving for Diagon Alley. They slowly walked the street, taking their time and window shopping. Harry said that he'd had enough shopping until after the baby was born, so they contented themselves with just looking. They made their way back up the street to a small French café. They ordered a light dinner and, once again, took their time eating it. This 'date' was about relaxation, not accomplishing anything. Once they felt that they'd shown themselves enough, they left the café and Diagon Alley. Harry was not sorry to see it go.

 ~OOooOO~

The following Sunday, the patrons of the Leaky Cauldron were waiting with bated breath to see who Harry would arrive with this time. They waited...and waited...and waited...and waited, but no Harry. The reporters from _The Daily Prophet_ were perplexed, where was Harry?

Harry was at home, being spoiled rotten by his husband. They spent the entire day lazing about in the sunshine and enjoying not having to leave the confines of the Burrow's garden. That evening they had fish and chips, made by Molly, who had not approved of the whole plan to begin with. Arthur had thought it a master stroke against the ever nosy paparazzi, but Molly hadn't agreed. She thought that Harry had done too much and had over-stressed himself and the baby.

This wasn't her first grandchild, of course, but it was the first male pregnancy that had happened in the Weasley family in well over one hundred years. She was proud that Harry was handling it so well, but she was determined that he would relax for the remaining weeks of his pregnancy.

 ~OOooOO~

Three weeks after the final 'date' with Remus, there appeared an article in the Quibbler about Harry and his baby. Xeno had been given the only interview that Harry would grant to any newspaper. It detailed how he felt about the publicity given to his pregnancy and that he and his husband just wanted to be left alone to enjoy their child, when it was born.

_**HUSBAND?** _

Harry Potter was married? Who was he married to? Which one of the many men that he had been seen with was his husband? How long had they been married? Where were they married? Who had performed the ceremony?

Everyone began to play detective. They made a list of the men that Harry had been on dates with and started to cull the list. They started with the obviously married ones...Percy Weasley, Ronald Weasley and Blaise Zabini. They moved on to the most unlikely...Severus Snape and Remus Lupin. They were left with Draco Malfoy, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Fred Weasley and George Weasley. One of these five men had to be Harry's husband...but which one?

Three days later, everyone found out.

 ~OOooOO~

_The Daily Prophet is proud to announce that the owner of this fine newspaper, Mr. Harry James Potter and his husband of two years, Mr. Charles Adam Potter, have been blessed with a handsome son. The baby, born Wednesday, 28 th August, weighed in at a respectable 3.5 kilograms and was 51 centimetres long. His fathers are very proud to welcome their son to their lives. The Daily Prophet takes this opportunity to welcome James Arthur Potter to the world and wishes nothing but the best for him and his parents._

In a smaller notice:

_The betting pool that The Daily Prophet ran on the odds of which man was the father of Mr. Potter's baby was won by Xenophilius Lovegood, publisher of The Quibbler, a rival newspaper. Said Mr. Lovegood, “The chemistry between those two men was the strongest I have seen. I wish long lives and much happiness to Misters Potter and their son, James.” Both Mr. Lovegood and Mr. Potter have donated their winnings from the pool to The Lighthouse Home for War Orphans._

Further down the page:

_Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Weasley are proud to announce the engagement of their eldest son, William Arthur, to Mr. Draco Lucius Malfoy. No date has been set for the wedding at this time, but we have been assured that they will not be as remiss in letting the world know of their nuptials as Misters Harry and Charles Potter were. _


End file.
